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Nomination period open for N.B. candidates

Sep 2, 2016 | 12:00 PM

It’s election season again in North Battleford and the nomination period for those who want to throw their hats in the ring is now open.

The nomination period for the Oct. 26 North Battleford election is open as of Thursday, Sept. 1. Correctly filed out nomination forms will be accepted during regular city hall office hours until Sept. 20 and then on nomination day Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nominations papers can be picked up at city hall and they include some personal information such as name, address and occupation. To complete the paperwork, aspiring nominees must have at least five signatures from other voters.

Returning officer Debbie Wohlberg said the completed forms need to be brought in to city hall to be formally filed and the five signatures are a vital part of the submission.

“They file them with myself, the returning officer, because they have to be complete, they have to be signed in front of two witnesses and make sure there’s five nominations on there. Not four or three, there has to be a minimum of five and it’s all stated on the paper,” she said. “Who can nominate? It has to be a voter of the City of North Battleford.”

If a potential candidate wants more information, Wohlberg is available for questions.

“Anyone interested in running as a candidate for either mayor or councillor can come into city hall and I’ve got a candidate’s information guide that I can go through it with them, just to make sure they are aware of the requirements and some of the important things that are necessary for an election,” she said.

Wohlberg admitted a lot of work goes into getting the nomination forms properly completed and handed in, but it’s indicative of the work ahead if elected.

“The involvement of being on council, of course you are required to attend all the scheduled council meetings, but in between that we have committee meetings, we have budget meetings, we have long range planning meetings (and) strategic planning sessions. So there’s a lot more than just getting together with council at 8 p.m. on a Monday night,” she said.

Wohlberg added election updates and more information can be found on the city’s website.

 

Matt Kelly is battlefordsNOW’s town municipal affairs and community reporter. He can be reached at mkelly@jpbg.ca or tweet him @mattjkelly2.